The present invention relates to a pitot tube pump comprising at least one supply line and at least one discharge line, as well as a hydraulic chamber and a drive. Pitot tube pumps of this type are also known as pitot pumps, jet pumps, turbopumps or pumps comprising a pitot element. Traditional pumps based on the pitot pump principle are driven by means of a bearing bracket and a motor coupled thereto. On the opposite side of the hydraulic chamber are located fluid ports, as well as the lead-through of the pitot tube into the hydraulic chamber, which lead-through is sealed by a dynamic seal. In this case the dynamic seal is oriented toward the hydraulic chamber via a casing which encloses the hydraulic chamber and which is connected to the bearing bracket.
The drawbacks of the described construction derive from production-related misalignments between the support of the hydraulic chamber by means of the bearing bracket and the opposite-situated dynamic seal of the pitot tube, which seal is supported by the casing. In order to be able to ensure the operability of the arrangement, narrow production tolerances and a complex assembly are necessary. Moreover, unavoidable alignment errors give rise to increased wear of the dynamic seal, which in turn, given a lengthy service life, can inevitably lead to leakage or total failure of the seal. Regular maintenance intervals are thus essential in order to be able to exchange the dynamic seal in time. A further drawback is the large spatial requirement of traditional arrangements.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,826 discloses a pitot tube pump which has a plurality of pitot elements in an encapsulated pump chamber. The inlet and outlet of the hydraulic chamber in this case are arranged on different sides of the pump.
German published patent application no. DE 10 2007 033 644 A1 discloses a pitot tube pump in which the motor and the inlet and outlet from and to the pump chamber are arranged on different sides of the pump chamber.
German published patent application no. DE 10 2006 028 597 A1 discloses a pitot tube pump in which the motor and the inlet and outlet from and to the pump chamber are arranged on different sides of a pump chamber located within a casing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,314 describes a pitot tube pump, in which the drive and the fluid-conducting line are arranged on different sides of the pump chamber. By contrast, U.S. Pat. No. 1,032,892 shows a pitot tube pump comprising at least one supply line and at least one discharge line, as well as a hydraulic chamber and a drive, with the drive, supply line and discharge line being arranged on a common side of the hydraulic chamber.
US patent publication no. US 2006/198731 (=DE 11 2006 000 496 T5) describes a pitot tube pump comprising a pump chamber, in which a wear ring is inserted in a groove, adjacent the pitot tube within the pump chamber. In this pitot tube pump, the drive and the fluid-conducting lines are arranged on different sides of the pump.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,845 (=WO 03/089788) describes a pitot tube pump in which the pump drive and the inlet and outlet from/to the pump chamber are arranged on different sides of a pump chamber which is located within a casing.